The Health Policy Project ended in 2016. Work continued under Health Policy Plus (HP+) until 2022.

Latin America & the Caribbean

Image of traditional woman in Peru

With support from USAID, national leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have signed on to the Punta Cana Accord--an agreement pledging support for improved FP/RH services and contraceptive security throughout the region. Now committed to ensuring that citizens have quality healthcare services and access to contraceptives, it is essential that countries transfer responsibilities for action from the national level to subnational and local administrative levels.

What We Do

Building on these efforts, the Health Policy Project (HPP) supports the LAC Regional Contraceptive Security (LAC/RCS) Initiative to create an enabling policy environment and provide technical assistance to help countries implement their commitments as laid out in the Punta Cana Accord. These efforts also include addressing inequitable access and obtaining protected budgets for contraceptive security.

To achieve the overall program objective, there are four components:

Develop Decentralized Approaches to Enhance Contraceptive Security

While national leaders publicly support FP/RH, local leaders are not typically aware of such commitments nor do they have the political and financial capital to implement programs that respond to these high-level policies. HPP works to decentralize contraceptive security efforts, especially where integrated health service delivery is being introduced in decentralized systems. The program has also helped establish and build the capacity of regional and local Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos (DAIA), or contraceptive security committees, and provides technical assistance to strengthen local leaders’ skills in policy advocacy, gender, culturally appropriate service delivery, and decentralized public policy and budget processes to enhance contraceptive security.

Support Advocacy for High-Quality, Equitable Services and Protected Budgets

In coordination with UNFPA, the project provides follow-up support for two key elements of the Punta Cana Accord among signatory countries to (1) promote the right to informed consent for all people and the right to receive high-quality FP services; and (2) secure protected budgets for contraceptive security in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Promote Tools for Evidence-based Decisionmaking

Recognizing the importance of timely and sound data to inform government decisions and undertake necessary reforms, HPP continues to support this key element of the policy environment. HPP is conducting market segmentation studies in El Salvador, Peru, and Guatemala, which analyze the distribution of contraceptive security responsibilities among various sectors and allow for better management of budgets, services, and quality of care. Using the results, the project assists the contraceptive security committees to conduct policy dialogue with key actors to inform decisions that maximize efficiency and improve coordination for contraceptive security among all sectors.

Foster Sustainability of DAIA Committees

To strengthen the DAIA committees, HPP works to enhance linkages with other organizations, including the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) and its various members, as well as coordinate with the USAID DELIVER Project to provide the technical assistance and skills building to the committees and promote independence and sustainability.

Recent Progress and Achievements

With approval from the Minister of Health, HPP and partners launched a new subnational contraceptive security committee in the Dominican Republic.
HPP decentralization activities have helped facilitate the formation of FP/RH committees in targeted municipalities in Peru and the Dominican Republic.
HPP initiated conversations with representatives of the Ministry of Health and United Nations Children’s Fund in Peru to start planning HPP’s assistance to public sector counterparts working to establish decentralized department-level DAIA committees.